The Society visited the Buxton 10th International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in 2003 and gave 2 performances in the Festival fringe in the Paxton Suite.

The first half was Arthur Sullivan’s Festival Te Deum and the second half was The Batsman’s Bride (By Donald Hughes and Percy M. Heywood; By kind permission of Rydal School, Colwyn Bay).

The magnificent Festival Te Deum was written by the 30 year old Sullivan and dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. It was first performed in 1872 at the Crystal Palace in front of 26,000 people.

The Batsman’s Bridge is a one act operetta about the Cattlecud village cricket team who take on the might of the MCC. The Society were delighted to perform the work for the first time on the Isle of Man in March 2002 and made a CD of the performance. All copies are now sold out.